A while back, I heard Maria Schneider talk at the Reno Jazz Festival.

She talked about her inspirations, people she knew, and theoretical aspects.

Out of the modes (Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian) she told us that Lydian is the brightest.

From there in ascending fifths (ie first up to C from F) they become darker.

Based off of that she made one of her songs darker through modulation.

Schneider also told a story about Gil Evans and how he had been sitting down trying to figure out a new way to figure a minor seventh chord that he had developed callouses on his ass.

She said that composers have to do that sometimes- just keep writing until they get it.

-Neal Battaglia

Learning Saxophone?

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Alex Han is a young alto sax player that seems to be making a strong entrance into the jazz scene.  He has played with musicians like Marcus Miller.

Marcus Miller lays down some funky bass and played alongside Miles Davis, now he leads his own groups.

I liked the shape of Han’s solo- starts off simple then builds and really gets some intensity in there at the end.

Alex Han Playing

He started playing at age 8 and now tours the world playing music.

-Neal Battaglia
Learning Saxophone?

This is from my response to a question on the Saxophone People Forum-

im in the market for a tenor sax. what is a good brand? should i also get the metal mouthpiece to get that nice sound? ive played alto for years just curious as to what kind of tenor i should look for. thank you very much!

From reading something on sax on the web-

“Lenny Pickett does play a Selmer Mark VI. He also plays a 130/0 sms Berg Larsen” -SelmerC*

Depending on how long you’ve been playing and what you want to play, metal could be good.

It’s brighter and gives you more volume, bad for any sort of classical setting though. The string players will give you mean looks, haha

The horn- Mark VI, is widely considered the best horn, but they aren’t made any more and some are in good shape others aren’t. Because they’re rare, they will be expensive too.

So if you find a good one and can afford it, go for it.

Yamahas, Selmers, Keilwerth, Yanigisawa all make good horns too.

Yamaha is probably the most affordable out of those.

Try out some different brands and see what you like.

-Neal Battaglia

Learning Saxophone?

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